Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

November 21, 2012

Mayo Clinic in the News is a weekly highlights summary of major media coverage. We are publishing on Wednesday this week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. If you would like to be added to the weekly distribution list, send a note to Emily Blahnik with this subject line: SUBSCRIBE to Mayo Clinic in the News.

Thank you.

Karl Oestreich, manager enterprise media relations

Wall Street Journal
As MS Pills Debut, Doctors Prescribe a Dose of Caution
by Jonathan Rockoff

Multiple-sclerosis patients have waited years for the first generation of treatments in pill form. Now that they're becoming available, however, doctors are warning: not so fast. The pills are easier to take than shots that have long been used to treat the disease. Yet they could have serious side effects, and for patients who are stable on their current regimen, doctors say shifting to pills may not be worth it…For now, Mark Keegan, who heads the multiple-sclerosis section at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has supported use of the older shots. That is "mainly because of an overall safety profile that is good," said Dr. Keegan. His counsel may change, he said, as doctors gain more experience with the new drugs in pill form.

Circulation: The Wall Street Journal, a US-based newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company, is tops in newspaper circulation in America with an average circulation of 2 million copies on weekdays.

Context: Mark Keegan, M.D., is a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist. Mayo Clinic anesthesiologists in Rochester supervise over 89,000 cases requiring anesthesia yearly, assisted by skilled nurse anesthetists and state-of-the-art equipment.

Public Affairs Contact: Traci Klein

Star Tribune
Networking helps spread Mayo brand
"It's key that Mayo Clinic remain relevant," said Dr. David Hayes, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, which now has 11 affiliates. "We're trying to have the types of connections in places that we think might be valuable down the road."...

Circulation: The Star Tribune Sunday circulation is 514,457 copies and weekday circulation is 300,330. The Star Tribune is the state’s largest newspaper and ranks 16^th nationally in circulation.

Context: Mayo Clinic announced St. Elizabeth Healthcare as the newest member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network on Nov. 14. St. Elizabeth, based in the Greater Cincinnati area, is the first health system in Kentucky, Indiana or Ohio to have passed Mayo's rigorous review process and been selected as a member of the year-old network. The Mayo Clinic Care Network extends Mayo Clinic's knowledge and expertise to physicians and providers interested in working together in the best interest of their patients.

News Release: St. Elizabeth Healthcare Joins Mayo Clinic Care Network

Public Affairs Contacts: Sherri Lowrey-Schrandt, Bryan Anderson

NPR
Can You Move It And Work It On A Treadmill Desk?
By Patti Neighmond

As we've reported, there's a backlash brewing to sedentary office life as more people realize how sitting all day can do a body wrong. I work at home and often sit in front of my computer doing research and writing. So I thought I'd give a treadmill desk a try. went about this in steps. First, I elevated my sitting desk to a standing desk. For about a month, I grew comfortable standing all day. Then I added a discreet treadmill (without handrails) under my standing desk, and voila — a treadmill desk…James Levine, an obesity expert at the Mayo Clinic who came up with the idea of the treadmill desk, told me that my experience was pretty typical. "There's a tendency to want to jump on the treadmill and walk for hours and hours a day," he says. "Don't do that. Certainly, at the absolute maximum, do half-hour on, half an hour off, for two to three hours a day."

Reach: National Public Radio's Morning Edition is a weekday morning drive-time program with two hours of up-to-the-minute news, background analysis, commentary, and coverage of arts, culture and sports.

Additional Coverage: WBUR Boston, KOSU Okla

Context: James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., is a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist who is often sought out by journalists for his expertise. Basing his techniques of non-exercise activity on years of Mayo Clinic research, he offers cost-effective alternatives to office workers, school children and patients for losing weight and staying fit. Author, inventor, physician and research scientist, Dr. Levine has built on Mayo’s top status as a center of endocrinology expertise and has launched a multi-nation mission to fight obesity through practical, common-sense changes in behavior and personal environment.

Public Affairs Contacts: Bob Nellis, Brian Kilen

Bloomberg
Diabetes Rates Soar in U.S. as 18 States See Cases Double
by Michelle Fay Cortez

The number of people living with diabetes is soaring in the U.S., as 18 states had at least a doubling in those with the illness since 1995, a government survey found… “It’s potentially a big problem, and it’s a problem that is going to increase,” said Adrian Vella, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who studies the development of prediabetes. “The longer that people live the more likely they are to have diabetes. And the longer you have diabetes, the more likely you are to have complications from it.” A

Circulation: Bloomberg has 2,300 media professionals in 146 bureaus across 72 countries. Bloomberg delivers its content across more than 400 publications, over 310 million households worldwide through Bloomberg Television and 500,000 in the New York metro area and 18.5 million subscribers through satellite radio.

Context: Adrian Vella, M.D. is a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist who provided his third-party expertise to the diabetes statistics released from the CDC.

News Release: Diagnosed diabetes grows at a dramatic rate throughout the United States

Additional coverage: Independent UK

Public Affairs Contacts: Sharon Theimer, Bob Nellis

MPR
Truckers' health: Too many miles, too much bad food
When many people think of truck drivers and their lifestyle, they likely envision someone who sits a lot, eats loads of unhealthy food and consumes too many soft drinks. Dr. Clayton Cowl talks about the trucker lifestyle. New federal rules will require truckers to get medical clearance from doctors who have been certified to do their occupational exams. Cowl, a doctor at Mayo Clinic, decided to get his trucking license so he have a better idea of what his patients' needs are.

Reach: Minnesota Public Radio operates 43 stations and serves virtually all of Minnesota and parts of the surrounding states. MPR has more than 100,000 members and more than 900,000 listeners each week, which is the largest audience of any regional public radio network.

Previous Coverage

Context: Big changes are coming to the medical evaluations required for many commercial driver’s license holders, including truckers and bus drivers. Under new federal requirements, the medical examinations will only count if they are performed by a health care provider specially trained and certified to do so. The goal is preventing medical emergency-related truck and bus crashes through what likely will be more intense health exams, says Clayton Cowl, M.D., of Mayo Clinic.

News Release: Mayo Expert Explains New Medical Exam Rule

Public Affairs Contacts: Sharon Theimer, Brian Kilen, Nick Hanson

FOX 9 Twin Cities
Jeff Passolt’s Sleep Apnea Treatment

For a lot of people, especially couples, the lack of sleep is because of someone else snoring. But it turns out snoring is no joke -- it could mean you have sleep apnea. That's why my wife and I wound up at the Mayo Clinic, where Dr. Kevin Reid made it clear: my snoring can have serious side effects. To find out whether or not I had sleep apnea, I was referred to Dr. Eric Olson, who suggested a sleep study. The process involves being hooked up to nearly 20 wires. But if getting this thing figured out means spending a night looking like Frankenstein -- it'll be worth it. Online story.

Reach: Minneapolis-St.Paul is the 16^th largest television market in the United States with 1.7 million TV homes. FOX 9 News (WFTC) typically has good viewership for its 9 p.m., newscast, but lags behind its competitors at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.

Context: Eric Olson, M.D., has joint appointments in Mayo Clinic Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Mayo's Center for Sleep Medicine. Mayo Clinic doctors trained in sleep disorders evaluate and treat adults and children in the Center for Sleep Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. The Center for Sleep Medicine is one of the largest sleep medicine facilities in the United States. Staff in the center treats about 6,500 new people who have sleep disorders each year. The Center for Sleep Medicine is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Kevin Reid, M.D., is a Mayo Clinic Dental Specialties phyisician.

Public Affairs Contact: Kelley Luckstein, Alyson Fleming

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Tags: Anesthesiology, Bloomberg, Business Courier Cincinnati, Cincinnati.com, Columbus Morning Call Business Journal, diabetes, Dr. Clayton Cowl, Dr. David Hayes, Dr. Eric Olson, Dr. James Levine, Dr. Kevin Reid, Endocrinology / Diabetes, FOX 19 Cincinnati, FOX 9 Twin Cities, HealthLeaders Media, Jeff Passolt, KOSU Okla, KY Forward, KY Post, Mayo Clinic Care Network, Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic Dental Specialties, Mayo Clinic in the News, Mayo Clinic Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Minnesota Public Radio, MPR, MS, multiple sclerosis, National Public Radio, NPR, Obesity, Post Bulletin, RCN Ky., Salo, sleep apnea, Sleep Medicine, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Star Tribune, The Lane Report Ky., The Wall Street Journal, treadmill desk, trucking, Twin Cities, WBUR Boston, WCPO Cincinnati, WNKU Cincinnati

Mayo Clinic In The News

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights